Express Metro and Light Rail Will Support Capital's Growth

This article describes plans for an express rail network serving the greater Tunis area. It would consist of 85 km of high-capacity track, to be completed over the next 15 years. As one of the fastest growing cities in the Maghreb region, Tunis has a population that now exceeds 2 million, and it is expected to grow to nearly 3 million by 2021. Greater Tunis’ built-up area has doubled in the last 20 years with further expansion by means of satellite suburbs. The train system is intended to serve this growth. Financing from the European Investment Bank has allowed a major rehabilitation program of the 34-km network of light rail. Other upgrades are planned for the meter-gauge line running southeast from the capital along a 23-km route. It is one of the busier commuter lines, with 126 trains carrying about 80,000 passengers a day during the week. A five-line network is planned to divert longer-distance traffic from light rail over 84 km of rail and 90 km of bus routes that will serve interchanges at key locations.